The comprehension of how job satisfaction impacts on an employee’s intention to quit is critical to an organisation. Consulting engineering firms who do not retain their skill sets will not survive. Knowledge of the relationship between job satisfaction and intentions to quit will allow managers to manipulate the variables that increase job satisfaction, which in turn can minimise an organsation’s employee turnover rate. A theoretical analysis was done. As an empirical analysis, a targeted cross-sectional survey by means of a standardised questionnaire was sent to 3 000 (three thousand) engineers, technicians and technologists registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). Multiple regression analysis was done and Spearman Correlation Coefficients were used to indicate the relationships between variables. Achievement was the factor that was most significantly related to job satisfaction and intention to quit. The strong negative relationship between job satisfaction and intention to quit was confirmed, the effect of which would be that the more job satisfaction increases, the more intention to quit decreases. Management techniques that consist of supervisory consideration, participative decision making, performance feedback and communication are therefore advocated. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The comprehension of how job satisfaction impacts on an employee’s intention to quit is critical to an organisation. Consulting engineering firms who do not retain their skill sets will not survive. Knowledge of the relationship between job satisfaction and intentions to quit will allow managers to manipulate the variables that increase job satisfaction, which in turn can minimise an organsation’s employee turnover rate. A theoretical analysis was done. As an empirical analysis, a targeted cross-sectional survey by means of a standardised questionnaire was sent to 3 000 (three thousand) engineers, technicians and technologists registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). Multiple regression analysis was done and Spearman Correlation Coefficients were used to indicate the relationships between variables. Achievement was the factor that was most significantly related to job satisfaction and intention to quit. The strong negative relationship between job satisfaction and intention to quit was confirmed, the effect of which would be that the more job satisfaction increases, the more intention to quit decreases. Management techniques that consist of supervisory consideration, participative decision making, performance feedback and communication are therefore advocated. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since the intervention of the Competition Commission and the abolition of the mandatory use of the government gazetted Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) fees scale, engineering services consultants in South Africa have been competing based on price for engineering contracts in both the public and private sectors. Discounts benchmarked against ECSA professional fees scale demanded by clients have resulted in declines in professional fees over the years. The capacity to deliver professional services that are of such high quality that it meets the client’s expectation, professional and ethical standards when working at low fees is one of the biggest challenges facing consulting professionals today. This research studied the risks encountered by civil and structural engineering services consultants and the impact of discounted professional fees on their risk exposure. The study included a review of literature, discussions with practicing engineers and a questionnaire based survey. A total of 23 practicing consulting engineers representing small, medium and large consulting engineering firms participated as respondents in the questionnaire survey. The literature review identified project and organisational level risks particular to civil and structural engineering services consultants. The study compiled information on the discounting practices of civil and structural engineering services consultants in South Africa. It is found that the practice of discounting is widespread, affecting small, medium and large consulting firms. The range of discounts offered in the industry results in a significant decrease in the fee scale recommended by ECSA for various engineering project types. Respondents identified the primary reasons why they are forced to offer discounts and identified project and organisational risks most impacted by discounted fees in an order of perceived importance to them. Financial loss on the project, inadequate supervision and quality control on site and inability to perform value engineering were identified as project risks with the most impact on respondents’ organisation. At the organisational level human resource issues such as training and mentoring of young engineers, ability to attract and retain quality/experienced staff and overall business sustenance were identified as risks most impacted by discounted fees. Measures adopted by respondents to mitigate risk associated with discounted fees on project were also identified and recommended. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert die ingryping van die Kompetisie Kommissie en die afskaffing van verpligte fooie soos gepubliseer deur die regerings koerant en Ingenieurs Raad van Suid Afrika (IRSA), het ingenieurs konsultante in Suid Afrika meegeding gebaseer op die prys van ingenieurs kontrakte in beide die publieke en private sektore. Afslag wat gemeet word teen professionele skale van ECSA word vereis deur kliënte. Onetiese tender gedrag deur kliënte en raadgewers het gelei tot ʼn daling in professionele fooie oor die jare. Die kapasiteit om professionele dienste te verskaf, wat van ʼn hoë kwaliteit is, kliënte se verwagtinge bereik en professionele en etiese standaarde bereik teen lae koste is een van die grootste uitdagings vir professionele raadgewende ingenieurs in vandag se mark. Hierdie tesis bestudeer die risiko’s wat siviele en strukturele raadgewende ingenieurs ondervind, asook die impak wat afslag van professionele fooie het in terme van die blootstelling van risiko’s. Hierdie studie behels ʼn literatuur studie, gesprekke met ingenieurs in die praktyk en ʼn vraelys opname. ʼn Totaal van 23 raadgewende ingenieurs wat klein, medium en groot raadgewende ingenieurs instansies verteenwoordig het deelgeneem aan die vraelys opname. Die literatuur studie het projek risiko’s en risiko’s op die organisasie vlak geïdentifiseer wat veral verband hou met siviele en strukturele raadgewende dienste. Die studie het informasie gegenereer oor die dalende uitvoering van siviele en strukturele raadgewende dienste in Suid-Afrika. Dit is bevind dat die beginsel van afslag in die algemeen klein, medium en groot raadgewende firmas beïnvloed. Die omvang van die afslag wat aangebied word in die ingenieurs bedryf het gelei tot ʼn beduidende afname in die fooi skaal wat aanbeveel word deur ECSA vir die verskeie ingenieurs projek tipes. Die verskeie deelnemers van die studie het gedui dat die primêre rede hoekom hulle gedwing word om afslag aan te bied en projek en organisasie risiko’s identifiseer, is omdat afslag fooie ʼn voorafgestelde belang is vir hulle. Finansiële verliese op ʼn projek, onvoldoende toesig, kwaliteitsbeheer en die onvermoë om hoë gehalte ingenieurswese toe te pas was geïdentifiseer as die projek risiko’s wat die meeste invloed het op die deelnemers se organisasies. By die organisasie vlak was menslike hulpbronne, soos opleiding en die mentorskap van jong ingenieurs, die vermoë om kwaliteit of ervare personeel te trek en te behou, en die algehele besigheid lewensmiddele geïdentifiseer as risiko’s wat die meeste beïnvloed word deur afslag fooie. Maatreëls wat aangeneem is deur deelnemers aan die studie om risiko’s wat verband hou met afslag fooie van ʼn projek te versag is geïdentifiseer en aanbeveel.

Transformation in the civil consulting engineering industry has been addressed, but there are still some shortcomings. This transformation is based on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, Affirmative Action and Employment Equity. > The main aim of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment is to redress historical inequalities in such a manner that it does not impact negatively on existing enterprises. > The aim of Affirmative Action is to promote equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination and the implementation of Affirmative Action measures. The aim is to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups in order to ensure their equitable representation in all occupational categories and levels of the workforce. > The main aim of Employment Equity is to promote equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination and to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups. The existing drive to successfully implement transformation in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector creates the opportunities for suitably qualified and experienced black engineering candidates to be selected for appointment above an equally qualified and experienced white candidate who applies for the same position. Although Civil Engineering as we know it in South Africa is only 105 years old, it has a rich history and contributed substantially to turning South Africa into a jewel and economic hub on the African continent. The Civil Consulting Engineering Sector forms part of the Construction Sector and abides by the set of rules that has been compiled for the construction sector, known as the Construction Sector - Broad-Based Black Economic Charter - Version 6, 2006. This Construction Sector - Broad-Based Black Economic Charter - Version 6 is intended to assist all existing as well as any future businesses or stakeholders by providing a framework for the construction sector to address Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, enhance capacity and increase the productivity of the sector to meet world standard. The Government's strategy or vision is to utilise Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment as a tool to redress past inequalities and to broaden, expand and increase the country's economic base by including everybody that can participate in and contribute to the South African economy. The envisaged spin-offs from the implementation of this strategy by the Government would be to accelerate economic growth and this would then lead to job creation, and consequent poverty eradication. The Government intends to achieve Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment by making use of a balanced approach that includes contributions and measures that will mainly readdress ownership, control, employment equity, skills development, procurement, enterprise development and Corporate Social Development. This approach by Government will further address additional elements as indicated on the Broad-Based Black Economic scorecard. Transformation in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector is currently hampered by a shortage of suitably qualified and experienced black engineering candidates that can be employed in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector. The researcher is also employed in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector and therefore experiences all the frustrations on a daily basis, which inspired this research to determine the status quo with regard to transformation in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Transformation in the civil consulting engineering industry has been addressed, but there are still some shortcomings. This transformation is based on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, Affirmative Action and Employment Equity. > The main aim of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment is to redress historical inequalities in such a manner that it does not impact negatively on existing enterprises. > The aim of Affirmative Action is to promote equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination and the implementation of Affirmative Action measures. The aim is to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups in order to ensure their equitable representation in all occupational categories and levels of the workforce. > The main aim of Employment Equity is to promote equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination and to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups. The existing drive to successfully implement transformation in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector creates the opportunities for suitably qualified and experienced black engineering candidates to be selected for appointment above an equally qualified and experienced white candidate who applies for the same position. Although Civil Engineering as we know it in South Africa is only 105 years old, it has a rich history and contributed substantially to turning South Africa into a jewel and economic hub on the African continent. The Civil Consulting Engineering Sector forms part of the Construction Sector and abides by the set of rules that has been compiled for the construction sector, known as the Construction Sector - Broad-Based Black Economic Charter - Version 6, 2006. This Construction Sector - Broad-Based Black Economic Charter - Version 6 is intended to assist all existing as well as any future businesses or stakeholders by providing a framework for the construction sector to address Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, enhance capacity and increase the productivity of the sector to meet world standard. The Government's strategy or vision is to utilise Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment as a tool to redress past inequalities and to broaden, expand and increase the country's economic base by including everybody that can participate in and contribute to the South African economy. The envisaged spin-offs from the implementation of this strategy by the Government would be to accelerate economic growth and this would then lead to job creation, and consequent poverty eradication. The Government intends to achieve Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment by making use of a balanced approach that includes contributions and measures that will mainly readdress ownership, control, employment equity, skills development, procurement, enterprise development and Corporate Social Development. This approach by Government will further address additional elements as indicated on the Broad-Based Black Economic scorecard. Transformation in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector is currently hampered by a shortage of suitably qualified and experienced black engineering candidates that can be employed in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector. The researcher is also employed in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector and therefore experiences all the frustrations on a daily basis, which inspired this research to determine the status quo with regard to transformation in the Civil Consulting Engineering Sector. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

A pesquisa aborda os arranjos estabelecidos entre departamentos estatais, empresas privadas e grupos profissionais na determinação, na regulação e na execução cotidiana da política habitacional em São Paulo. Empiricamente, o trabalho focaliza as empresas de gerenciamento e consultoria - ou simplesmente gerenciadoras - que atuam como terceirizadas há pelo menos vinte e cinco anos junto à Companhia de Desenvolvimento Habitacional e Urbano - CDHU, empresa pública vinculada à Secretaria de Habitação do estado de São Paulo, desenvolvendo atividades concernentes à função gerencial, de administração e controle das etapas de concepção, viabilização, implantação e operação de programas e empreendimentos. Alocadas no amplo setor da Engenharia Consultiva, a atuação destas empresas no país ganha significativa envergadura ainda nos anos 1960, durante a ditadura militar, acompanhando a tendência de transformação do modus operandi estatal e de expansão do repasse de funções executivas do Estado para o setor privado, já então amparada na doutrina gerencialista da eficiência, da competência e da qualidade. Ao longo da tese, são discutidas questões sobre a própria ideia da função gerencial como dispositivo de gestão e como racionalidade, sua recepção e incorporação ao desenho da política habitacional brasileira e a participação das empresas consultoras nessa dinâmica, a partir de um enfoque sobre os caminhos de seu desenvolvimento no país, os agentes envolvidos, as relações políticas, institucionais, profissionais e corporativas estabelecidas, o surgimento do \"serviço especializado de gerenciamento\" como uma ramificação da Engenharia Consultiva e seu estriamento pelas estruturas públicas estatais alegadamente falidas, justificado em discurso pela inexorabilidade da terceirização. Além disso, são também problematizados o peso destas empresas na estrutura de gestão atualmente formalizada e os desdobramentos que, desde aí, implicam uma reconfiguração do campo profissional de arquitetos e urbanistas envolvidos com a questão habitacional em São Paulo nas últimas duas décadas, seus constrangimentos e potencialidades diante dos novos arranjos determinados em torno da execução da política pública. / The research deals with the arrangements established between state departments, private companies and professional groups in determining, in the regulation and execution of everyday housing policy in São Paulo. Empirically, the thesis focuses on the business and management consultancy companies that act as subcontractors for at least twenty-five years with the Companhia de Desenvolvimento Habitacional e Urbano - CDHU, linked to the Department of Housing public corporation of the state of São Paulo, administrating and controlling stages of conception, feasibility, implementation and operation of programs and projects activities. Allocated in the broad sector of Consulting Engineering, the activities of these companies in the Brazil still earns significant scale in the 1960s, during the military dictatorship, following the trend of transformation of the modus operandi of state and the expansion of transfer the executive functions of the state to the private sector, supported in the managerialist doctrine of efficiency, competence and quality. Throughout the thesis, we discuss issues about the very idea of management as a rationality device, its reception and incorporation into the form of the brazilian housing policy and the participation of consulting companies in this dynamic, from a focus on the ways of its development in the country, the agents involved, the political, institutional, corporate and professional relationships established, the emergence of the \"specialized service management\" as an offshoot of Consulting Engineering and rifling through his allegedly failed state public structures, explained in a speech by inexorability of outsourcing. Moreover, we also problematize the weight of these companies in the management structure currently formalized and the consequences that, since then, imply a reconfiguration of the field of professional architects involved with the housing issue in São Paulo in the last two decades, their constraints and potential in face of the new arrangements determined around the implementation of public policy.

A pesquisa aborda os arranjos estabelecidos entre departamentos estatais, empresas privadas e grupos profissionais na determinação, na regulação e na execução cotidiana da política habitacional em São Paulo. Empiricamente, o trabalho focaliza as empresas de gerenciamento e consultoria - ou simplesmente gerenciadoras - que atuam como terceirizadas há pelo menos vinte e cinco anos junto à Companhia de Desenvolvimento Habitacional e Urbano - CDHU, empresa pública vinculada à Secretaria de Habitação do estado de São Paulo, desenvolvendo atividades concernentes à função gerencial, de administração e controle das etapas de concepção, viabilização, implantação e operação de programas e empreendimentos. Alocadas no amplo setor da Engenharia Consultiva, a atuação destas empresas no país ganha significativa envergadura ainda nos anos 1960, durante a ditadura militar, acompanhando a tendência de transformação do modus operandi estatal e de expansão do repasse de funções executivas do Estado para o setor privado, já então amparada na doutrina gerencialista da eficiência, da competência e da qualidade. Ao longo da tese, são discutidas questões sobre a própria ideia da função gerencial como dispositivo de gestão e como racionalidade, sua recepção e incorporação ao desenho da política habitacional brasileira e a participação das empresas consultoras nessa dinâmica, a partir de um enfoque sobre os caminhos de seu desenvolvimento no país, os agentes envolvidos, as relações políticas, institucionais, profissionais e corporativas estabelecidas, o surgimento do \"serviço especializado de gerenciamento\" como uma ramificação da Engenharia Consultiva e seu estriamento pelas estruturas públicas estatais alegadamente falidas, justificado em discurso pela inexorabilidade da terceirização. Além disso, são também problematizados o peso destas empresas na estrutura de gestão atualmente formalizada e os desdobramentos que, desde aí, implicam uma reconfiguração do campo profissional de arquitetos e urbanistas envolvidos com a questão habitacional em São Paulo nas últimas duas décadas, seus constrangimentos e potencialidades diante dos novos arranjos determinados em torno da execução da política pública. / The research deals with the arrangements established between state departments, private companies and professional groups in determining, in the regulation and execution of everyday housing policy in São Paulo. Empirically, the thesis focuses on the business and management consultancy companies that act as subcontractors for at least twenty-five years with the Companhia de Desenvolvimento Habitacional e Urbano - CDHU, linked to the Department of Housing public corporation of the state of São Paulo, administrating and controlling stages of conception, feasibility, implementation and operation of programs and projects activities. Allocated in the broad sector of Consulting Engineering, the activities of these companies in the Brazil still earns significant scale in the 1960s, during the military dictatorship, following the trend of transformation of the modus operandi of state and the expansion of transfer the executive functions of the state to the private sector, supported in the managerialist doctrine of efficiency, competence and quality. Throughout the thesis, we discuss issues about the very idea of management as a rationality device, its reception and incorporation into the form of the brazilian housing policy and the participation of consulting companies in this dynamic, from a focus on the ways of its development in the country, the agents involved, the political, institutional, corporate and professional relationships established, the emergence of the \"specialized service management\" as an offshoot of Consulting Engineering and rifling through his allegedly failed state public structures, explained in a speech by inexorability of outsourcing. Moreover, we also problematize the weight of these companies in the management structure currently formalized and the consequences that, since then, imply a reconfiguration of the field of professional architects involved with the housing issue in São Paulo in the last two decades, their constraints and potential in face of the new arrangements determined around the implementation of public policy.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4809.pdf: 1977399 bytes, checksum: 2da34c0f770d1a13eee03a5663bb0ca2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-09 / In recent years the possibility of incorporating the process of Learning Organizational (LO) during the life cycle of projects has been drawing the attention of scholars. However, there are few studies that analyze the subject in a practical and deeper way. The traditional studies try to consider and discuss the learning after the project more accurately due to its wide use in the business world. Nevertheless, the learning process may also occur during the projects when stimulated by mechanisms that systematize the externalization of knowledge and by means that encourage the sharing and the transference of them between projects team. Structured by means of a research action, this dissertation collaborate with the expansion of the knowledge about the subject investigating and improving actions that promote the practice of learning organizational during the development of projects in a medium-sized Consulting Engineering company from the civil construction sector located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. The actions are guided aiming to promote the transference of explicit knowledge (technical documents and reports), the reuse of the learning from their own experiences and past history (tacit knowledge) and the systematic problem solving. The implemented actions were incorporated in the procedures of the Quality Management System of the Company and, from trainings, observations and informal and formal evaluations (internal and external audits) it was possible to point opportunities of improvements to reinforce the process of organizational learning during the development of projects. The research revealed that the transference of knowledge generated in documents, reports and technical studies to other projects is not effective in organizational level, being a lot more employed among the project coordinators with more length of service that know a larger number of projects performed or ongoing. In the other hand, despite the tacit experiences developed by the people (own experiences), the learning occurs when the coordinator of a project compulsorily identifies and registers in a Project Execution Plan (PEP) the similar developed or developing contracts in the company, interrelating them with the people involved in these contracts. Following the process, the plan is disclosed to the team members of this coordinator, which consult those people. The generation of knowledge provided by the dynamic of systematic problem solving appears as incipient because, in the consulting engineering, a lot of factors hinder the capture of this knowledge in the form of register for later reuse. Among these factors it is possible to mention: difficulty in determining the categories of problems that comprehend all the projects, imposition of the clients not to generate registers, hesitancy of the project coordinators to externalize the problems of the projects and, as a result, their reputations. / Nos últimos anos a possibilidade de incorporação do processo de Aprendizagem Organizacional (AO) durante o ciclo de vida de projetos (project) tem chamado a atenção de estudiosos. No entanto, têm-se poucos estudos que analisam o tema de maneira prática e mais profunda. Os estudos tradicionais tendem a considerar e discutir o aprendizado após o projeto com mais propriedade devido ao seu amplo emprego no mundo empresarial. Entretanto, o processo de aprendizagem pode ocorrer também durante os projetos quando estimulados por mecanismos que sistematizem a externalização de conhecimentos e por meios que favoreçam o compartilhamento e a transferência destes entre equipes de projetos. Estruturada por meio de uma pesquisa-ação, esta dissertação colabora com a expansão do conhecimento sobre o tema investigando e aprimorando ações que promovam a prática da aprendizagem organizacional durante o desenvolvimento de projetos em uma empresa de Engenharia Consultiva do setor da construção civil, de médio porte e localizada na região metropolitana de São Paulo. As ações são pautadas no intuito de promover a transferência de conhecimentos explícitos (documentos e relatórios técnicos), o reaproveitamento das próprias experiências vivenciadas (conhecimento tácito) e a resolução sistemática de problemas. As ações implementadas foram incorporadas em procedimentos do Sistema de Gestão da Qualidade da Empresa e, a partir de treinamentos, observações e avaliações informais e formais (auditorias internas e externas) foi possível apontar oportunidades de melhorias para reforçar o processo de aprendizagem organizacional durante o desenvolvimento dos projetos. A pesquisa revelou que a transferência de conhecimento gerado em documentos, relatórios e estudos técnicos para outros projetos não é efetiva em nível organizacional, sendo mais bem praticada entre os coordenadores de projetos com mais tempo de casa e que conhecem maior número de projetos realizados ou em andamento. Por outro lado, a despeito das experiências tácitas desenvolvidas pelas pessoas (próprias experiências), o aprendizado ocorre quando o coordenador de um projeto obrigatoriamente identifica e registra em um Plano de Execução do Projeto (PEP) os contratos similares desenvolvidos ou em desenvolvimento na empresa, inter-relacionando-os com as pessoas envolvidas nestes contratos. Na sequência, o plano é divulgado para os membros da equipe deste coordenador, os quais consultam aquelas pessoas. A geração de conhecimentos proporcionada pela dinâmica de resolução sistemática de problemas apresenta-se como incipiente, pois, na engenharia consultiva, são muitos os fatores que dificultam a captura destes conhecimentos em forma de registros para posterior reuso. Entre esses fatores pode-se citar: dificuldade em delinear as categorias de problemas que abranjam todos os projetos, imposição dos clientes para a não geração de registros, receio dos coordenadores de projetos em externalizar os problemas dos projetos e, por consequência, suas reputações.